Tube-perforating device



Margh 12, 1929. F. r-:. O WEN TUBE PERFORATING DEVICE Filed Oct. 22, 1926 Fly. 2.

'00.. 0 O 6 I 0O lNVENTOR Freder/ME Gwen.

WITNESSES:

ATTOR EY Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENTDFFICE,

FREDERICK n. ownn, or East 'PALESTINE, OHIO.

TUBE-PERFOBATING DEVICE.

Application filed October 22, 1926. Serial No. 143,486.

My invention relates to the manufacture of ceramic tubesand particularly. to devices for punching and trimming ceramic tubes.

An object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple, inexpensive, and manually operable device for punching openings- In practicing my invention Iprovide a stationary punching member embodying a plurality of alined punches, a yieldingly mounted platen associated with the punch member,

a vertically extending hollow mandrel having a plurality of openings therein corresponding to the openings to be made in a ceramic tube located on said mandrel and also to the punches, a stationary trimming tool, a

' lever for moving tile mandrel back and forth in a guide member and means for positioning said mandrel and for turning it on its support either manually or automatically.

In the single sheet of drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, in side elevation, of a device embodying my invention,

2 is a view, in front elevation, of the device shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a top plan View thereof,

Fig. 4 is a vertical section 'therethrough, taken on the line IV.IV of Fig. 1, and, s

Fig. 5 is a view, in front elevation, of a ceramic tube WlllCll has been perforated, shown on aslightly larger scale than those of the other figures of the drawings.

A device 11 for punching andtrimming ceramic tubes comprises a base member 12 which is adapted to be secured against any desired supporting means and in a substantially vertical position. Two parallel extending metal base and guide fmemhers 13 and 14 extend forwardly of thebase member 12 and have their inner ends suitably secured thereto, While their outer ends have secured thereto a cross member 15 which. may

Cir

be held in its proper operative against by bolts 16. I v

fA punch member 18 extends vertically upward from the member 15 and comprises a substantially square or rectangular metal bar, the inner surface of which is provided with a plurality of solid and rigidly mounted punches or perforating members 19 extending laterally therefrom. While I have illustrated punch members and perforations of position theresubstantially lozenge shape, I do notdesire to be limited thereto as any suitable shape, in lateral section, of punches may be. used. The lower end of the member 18 is held in any desirable manner against the'crossbar 15, and the upper end of the member 18 is held rigidlyby a bar 22,. one end of which is suitably bolted against the base member 12, and the outer end of which, of substantially L-shape, is boltedagainst the top. portion of the member 18. I A perforated platen 28 is providedin substantially the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, so that it normally fits over the outer end of the solid punches 19. It is obvious that the perforations in the platen 23 are of substantially the same contour as are.

the punches'lt), it being necessary only that the platen 23 move freely along the punches.

The platen 23is yieldingly held'in its outermost position by springs 24 and 2'5 located over rod members 26 and 27 which act also as guides, stopmembers 28 and 29 being mounted on the respective rods'26 and 27- to limit the outward movement of the platen.

A hollow mandrel 31 extends in a substantially vertical position and is mounted in a block 32 which interiits with the guide mem-,

. bers 13 and 14'so that it may move relatively thereto toward and away from the punch member heremb'cfore described. While I have illust "at-ed a dovetail fit between the 'guide members 13 and'14 and the block 32,

it is obvious that any suitable design may be employed so. long as relativen'iovement of the two members is permitted and so that any wear may-be compensated for. -lhetubular mandrel 31 has its upper-portion perforated in substantially the same manner as itis de sired that a ceramic tube to be located thereon shall be perforated or punched by'the punches I 19. An integral flange portion 38 is provided on the mandrel 31 intermediate its ends in such position that it will rest upon the block 32 in orderto provide a suitable bearing surface and prevent any tilting of the mandrel relatively to its supporting block and to the guide men'ibers audits outer surface ispro vided with a plurality of ratchet teeth 33. A lowerblock 34 is also provided around the tubular mandrel 31 immediately below, the block 32. The bloclri'll may be either circular or square-in its outer periphery.

Means for effecting movement of the mandrel 31, the blocks 32 and 34 in the guide niembers13 and'14 comprises a manually operable lever 35 having one end pivotally mounted against a lug 36 secured to the guide member 14. A link member 37 is pivotally connected at one end .to the lever 35 intermed i ate its ends, and has its other end pivotally connected to the block 34. p

Means for holding the tubular mandrel 31 in any one of a number of predetermined posi tions and for turning the same manually comprises a. substantially circular collar 38 which is rigidly secured on the mandrel 31 adjacent to the lowerend thereof and a second collar 39 which is provided with a suitable niunber of handles 41 in accordance with the number of punching operations which it is desired to effect on a ceramic tube. V The collar 33 is provided with a number of recesses in itsouter peripheral surface corresponding to the number of punching operations to be effected and a resilient latch member t2 has one end thereof secured to the block 34- and the other end thereof yieldingly engaging the recesses in the collar 38.

Automatic means for turning the mandrel during eitherits forward or its baclmvard movement comprises a resilient pawl +1.3, one end ofwhich is pivotally mounted on the side bar 14:, and the other end of which co-operates 'with the'recesses 33* to turn the member and the mandrel 31 as they are moved forward by the lever 35. The construction of the, pawl 43 issuch that the turning movement is completed'before the mandrel is in such position that a tube of ceramic i'naterial located thereon engages the platen 23. The resilient latch 42 holds the mandrel in the proper operative position during the punching operation. lVhile I have shown the pawl as effecting a turning movement of the mandrel during its forward movement, I may so locate and arrange the pawl 43 that it will eii ect the turning movement during the backward movement.

Means for trimming the upper end oil" a ceramic tube 44 (see Fig. 5) comprises a cutting disc 45 which is yieldingly held in a substantially horizontal position at the upper end of the base plate 12 against which it may be mounted by means of a supporting menu ber 46, of substantially 'L-shape. "The disc 45 is preferably made circular in contour in order that a fresh cutting surface may easily be obtained'byturning'the disc if it is "Found that a portion thereof has become dull or worn. from use. The disc 45 may be secured on the supporting member e26 by means of a bolt 47 and a nut co-operating therewith.

The operation of the device is substantially as follows: A ceramic tube as illustrated generally in Fig. 5 of the drawing, but without the perforations therein, is manufactured in any desired manner or by any suitable method. The ceramic tubes which I have manufactured on a device of this kind are approximately 10 inches long, 3 inches in diameter, and one eighth inch in thickness. These dimensions are given merely as an illustration of the size of tube, and are not intendedto limit theapplieation of the device embodying my invention. After the tube a l has been dried a predetermined amount it is laced n 3011 the hollow mandrel 31 the mani punches '19 have perforated the tube l and have forced the punched out material through the corresponding open ngs in the hollow mandrel 3i, and into. the hollow central portion thereof through which it may then fall into a suitable box located thercbelow but not shown in the drawing. A stop member 528 in the form of athreaded stud and a locking nut lW-tliereon are provided to limit the forward movement. T he operator now actuates the lever to move the mandrel 31 away from the punches, the platen 23 follow ing the tube until prevented from further movement by the rods 26 and 27. ll he'platen thus prevents any pulling out of the wall of the tube being pc i? ated by the punches as they are being withdrawn, and is in engage ment with the outersurtace oil? the "tube during the punching and withdrawing operations only. The operator uctuates the lever 35 to the limit of its u'iovement in a direction toward the base l2,'at which time the disc ll will cut into the ceramic tube and will engage the outer surface of the mandrel 31 in order to provide a'elean cut upper edge of the tube. As the mandrel and the tube thereon are moved forwardly again the pawl 43 will cause a turning movement of the mandrel and the tube whereby the disc l5 trims the upper edge of the tube. nis turning movement is effected during a part only of the forward movement of theinandrel, the latch 42 holding the mandrel and tube inn predetermined positionduring the second punching operation. Repeated forward and backward move ments will eilect the trimming of the upper edge of a tube in successive peripheral por tions and the punching of the desired sets of openings in the tube5 spaced uniformly around thetube.

As hereinbetore noted, while I have shown openings or pertorzuiionsfof lozenge shape, any desired openings may bemade in the tube in the same manner as described above, by

the useofsuitable punches. In the particular tube shown two vertically alined sets of perforations are made at one time, thisrequiring of course, two alined sets of punches. If SlX recesses are provided in the collar member 38 a total of twelve rows of perforations will therefore be obtained in the tube 44.

lVhile I have illustrated and described a device in which the punch member is stationary and the mandrel and tube are movable, 1 do notdesire to be limited thereto, as I may make the hollow n'iandrel and the tube stationary and move the punches toward and from the mandrel and tube. V

The device embodying my invention thus provides a relatively simple, easily constructed, and easily operated device for providing perforations of any desired number and shape in a ce 'amic tube, and for trimming the freeend thereof in peripheral sections or portions.

The device embodying my invention provides also an automatic means for effecting a turning movement of predetermined peripheral extent during a portion only of the relative movement between the mandrel and the punches.

\Vhile I have illustratedand described a specific devicelen'ibodying my invention, I do not desire to be limited thereto, as changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and I desire that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art or are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. In a tube perforating device, in combination, a vertically-extending hollow mandrel for supporting a tube to be perforated, a punch, an opening in said mandrel corresponding to and alined with said punch, means for effecting relative movement between the mandrel and the punch, and a platen yieldingly mounted on, in continuous engagement with, and movable longitudinally of the punch for pressing against the outer surface of a tube being operated on, during the punching and retracting movements only of said device.

2. In a tube perforating and trimming device, in combination, a stationary punch member comprising a plurality of alined'solid punches, a movable mandrel for supporting 'a tube to be operated on, a manually operable lever for moving said mandrel toward and from saidpunch member, means for hold ng said mandrel in a fixed position during. the punching operation, means for turning said mandrel, and a cuttingolf means effective to trim one end of a tube located on the mandrel during the time that the mandrel and tube are being turned.

' 3. In a tube perforating and trimming device, in combination, a stationary punching through the bottom portion of the hollow mandrel, and to move the mandrel away from the punch member and toward the cutting-off tool, the cutting-off tool being operatlve to trnn the upper-end of a tube on said mandrel during its movement from one predetermined position to another.

4. In a tube perforating and trimming devvice, in combination, a punch member comprising a plurality of punches, a mandrel for supporting a tube to be operated on, a lever for effecting relative movement between the punches and the mandrel, means for holding the mandrel in a fixed position during the punching operation, means for turning the mandrel, and a cutting-off means effective to trim one endof a tube located on the mandrel during the time that the mandrel and tube are being turned.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 18th day of October, 1926. 1

FREDERICK E. OWEN. 

